It seems as if the current trend in the music scene is, "Tribute Bands." With the sky-high price of concert tickets, this can be the closest most of us can get to the real thing nowadays. Having seen my fair share, it seems as if these "Tributes..." can range from the impressive, to the downright awful. On this particular evening at The Galaxy, however, were 4 bands that hit it right on the nail.
Opening the evening were Pretentious, a musical salute to The Pretenders. Vocalist Dina Gathe was quite a facsimile of Chrissie Hynde, in singing style, and charisma. They delivered a predictable, but much appreciated set, of Pretenders favorites. The band was obviously well rehearsed, nearly flawless in their delivery of "The Wait," "Tattooed Love Boys," and "Brass in Pocket," but to name a few. Despite the sparse crowd, at this point of the evening anyways, Pretentious didn't let that affect their energy level. Any fan of The Pretenders, would definitely be blown away. An absolute blast to watch.
TNT was next up, delivering an array of both Brian Johnson and Bon Scott led AC/DC hits. "Dirty Deeds," "Highway to Hell," "Hell's Bells," all the familiar favorites were there. The crowd had grown a bit larger at this point, and the band definitely fed off that energy.
Surfin With An Alien followed the exhausting set by TNT, and I knew they could more than meet the challenge. I have seen Gary Lenn, and his amazing Joe Satriani recreation before, so I was excited about watching his set again. Anyone familiar with The Satch knows, he is one of the true rock guitar masters out there, and to play this jazz-fusion-rock, you would truly have to know your craft. Lenn definitely does. Watching his guitar playing is hypnotizing, and it is quite obvious, he takes sheer pleasure out of performing. Drummer Linda McDonald is ferocious, and provides a more than ample percussive attack, to back up these tunes. Anyone who appreciates musicianship, would be wise to catch Surfin With An Alien.
As a fan of Iron Maiden, I am surprised I had yet to catch their female-counterparts, The Iron Maidens. Forgive me for even mentioning their gender, because it is so irrelevant. Simply put, these are five musicians, on top of their game, delivering not-so-easy-to-play Iron Maiden classics. Vocalist Kirsten Rosenberg had an amazingly powerful set of lungs, and never strained once, during the entire set. Guitarists Sara Marsh and Courtney Cox were amazing, delivering the 1-2 punch of such classics as "Ace's High, "Two Minutes to Midnight," 
and "Phantom of the Opera." The rhythm section of Linda McDonald and Wanda Ortiz were solid. Ortiz really has the challenge of the band, laying down [Iron Maiden bassist] Steve Harris' galloping bass-lines, and she never faltered.
What added to the show, was the inclusion of Maiden mascot, Eddie, who made several appearances during the set. Several other props, representing Iron Maiden, were also visible, making this tribute all the more authentic.
The energy of the now-crowded Galaxy was amazing. It bordered being nearly out of control, which speaks volumes about this band.
The only real complaint would be some factors of the set-list. This would be the inclusion of "Powerslave," and "Rime of the Ancient Mariner." With both songs clocking in at 20 minutes, I would have preferred to hear three or four other selections in their place. The fact The Maidens would even do these two adventurous, and exhausting, songs, live, however, is quite commendable.
The bottom line: The Maidens cut no corners to deliver a set equal to a real Iron Maiden performance. All four bands this evening definitely get high marks.
